


There's Nothing Holding Me Back

by WaffleChocobo



Category: Persona 5
Genre: M/M, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-07-05
Packaged: 2018-11-28 05:57:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11411661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaffleChocobo/pseuds/WaffleChocobo
Summary: Akira is minding the shop on Valentine's day alone, when Ryuji comes to visit. Something wonderful starts.





	There's Nothing Holding Me Back

Valentine’s Day. It was a normal day for the most part. Akira had agreed to help out at Leblanc because Sojiro was getting supplies or something and its not like he had anything else to do that day. Its not like he had anyone one to see anyway. Akira was wiping down the counter when his phone beeped. With a stretch and a sigh he glanced at his phone. It was Ryuji. 

 

**Hey you doin anything?**

**Just watching an deserted coffee shop.**

**Boss out?**

**Yeah just me alone with coffee on Valentines day.**

**Well I ain’t got anyone to see mind if I come over?**  

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/156342806@N05/35743187505/in/dateposted-public/)

Akira bit his lip, briefly wondering what was worse being alone on Valentine’s day or being with your unrequited crush. Now Ryuji didn’t know that and if Akira had his way he would never know it. But ever since at least the bank (and if he was being completely honest with himself it probably started after the end of Kamoshida’s Palace) he had slowly started developing feelings. Definitely not helped by how much time they’d spent together.

 

**Sure if you don’t have other plans.**

 

Akira replied finally decided that seeing Ryuji was better than cleaning besides he shouldn’t make his best friend suffer for something stupid like a crush anyway.

 

**Cool! See you soon!**

 

Confirmation received. Akira took a deep breathe and began scrubbing every unclean surface in the shop. He’s pretty sure Ann had mentioned that cleaning was a great way to channel unwanted feelings once.He’s moved onto the dishes when a voice breaks his concentration. 

 

“Woah dude did those plates murder the cat or something?” The plates in his hands drop clanging together but thankfully not breaking. Akira blinks and there is Ryuji standing with a popsicle in his mouth. It moved around his cheek slowly and while waiting for Akira to fix his mess apparently Ryuji thought it would be a good idea to slowly lick it. He is so glad the plates were out of his hands because if he hadn’t dropped them before he would have dropped them now. Your best friends should not have this kinda effect on you but no here Akira was awkwardly trying not to stare at his best friends face.

 

“Sorry just feeling a little frustrated today you know?” Akira feeling replies when he feels his hearts calmed down a bit.

 

“Its cool. Today can be rough. Get rejected or something?” Ryuji pulls up a seat at the counter, the popsicle back in his mouth.

 

“No, didn’t bother confessing I wouldn’t have a chance with them anyway.” He was ninety percent sure Ryuji was straight and it wasn’t worth the risk even broaching it.

 

“Hey, your like charming and smart and stuff. Im sure anyone would be happy to be with you.” Ryuji removed his popsicle from his mouth to fully articulate his point.Akira’s face heat up a little at the compliments even if they were a little unrefined. 

 

“Thats nice and all but my reputation isn’t stellar.” He hoped that was enough of an excuse to get off this topic. Ryujimuttered some curse under his breathe looking somewhere between angry and sad before settling on sad.

 

“Thats Bullshit but I guess its true,” Ryuji shifted a bit before continuing.

 

“Wanna talk about it?” Ryuji looked him straight in the eyes clearly concerned. _NO!_ Akira thought. But that was not going to make Ryuji stop looking like a kicked puppy. So summing up all his phantom thief skills. Akira put on his best fake smile.

 

“ I’d rather not think about it right now, if thats okay. I’m due for a break wanna read manga for a bit?” Ryuji lit up at the suggestion and reached into one of the bags he brought pulling out a book while describing its basic plot. Akira made them both drinks while listening to him describe why Ryuji loved this one moment. Once the drinks were done they relocated to a booth.

 

“Anyway I think you’d like it cause it’s well about superheroes Kinda like us! Also its pretty cool. But anyway give it a shot.” Ryuji slides his a yellow manga volume.

 

“This doesn’t look like the one you brought last time, about.. what was it the exorcists?” Akira turns over the volume getting a good look at its colorful cast.

 

“Nah this is one’s way different! You didn’t seem too in it so I brought you another one before I give up on ever getting you to appreciate good manga. Just incase this one doesn’t interest you I bought you a manga with a cat.”Ryuji slid a manga with a cutesy looking cat on the cover across the table. Akira tried to figure out how to explain he had liked the manga alright, he just liked hearing Ryuji explain it more without tipping off the other to his feelings. 

 

In the end he didn’t have to as Ryuji turned back to the manga in his hand and began reading. Akira watched for a moment as Ryuji became engrossed in the story before picking up his volume. 

 

It was an underdog story though which was not uncommon for superhero stories as far as he was aware. Though the part where the Protagonist finally got someone to believe in him reminded Akira of the moment where he told his story and was finally believed.

 

“So what do ya think?” Ryuji asked. They chatted about the manga for a bit as the sun got lower in the sky. Eventually they’d eaten all the snacks and read every bit of manga in Ryuji current possession. They sat in silence for a moment as Ryuji searched through one of the bags he brought. Something he found most have shocked him in some way because suddenly Ryuji was very tense. Ryuji closed the bag, sat back up then in what Akira guessed was a moment powered by the thought _Fuck it, why not?_ went back and pulled the thing out of the bag. Akira wasn’t sure what could be so bad that Ryuji needed a deep breathe before showing it to him but he did his best to seem inviting just in case.

 

“So uh…” Ryuji rubbed his hair with one hand while the other held whatever was causing this strange reaction. Now Akira needed to know what he was holding. A secret? Porn?

 

“My mom and I were making chocolate for her work….and I uh made you some.” Not looking Akira in the eyes Ryuji slid the chocolate’s across the table. Akira's slouched to hide the blush on his cheeks as he examined the chocolates. They were a variety of shapes, at a glance he spotted a cat, a mug, and what looked suspiciously liked his Joker mask. Akira snuck a glance at Ryuji who was looking at the door, his posture was relaxed but Akira had been in enough unsavory situations to notice the way his muscles were still very tense. 

 

Ryuji’s muscles were not a good place for his mind to go, so in search of a distraction he quickly unwrapped the bag and shoved a chocolate in his mouth. It was smooth and melted in his mouth.

 

“Wow these are really good. I didn’t know you could cook Ryuji.” Akira licked his lips of the final bits of the first piece of chocolate and grabbed another.

 

“Of course I can cook! Most people can…” Ryuji put his hands in his pockets and slouched. 

 

“Though its uh good you like them.” He mumbled under his breathe. If Akira’s heart was not already threatening to explode it would be getting there right now. He needed a distraction, RIGHT NOW. So he fell back on his oldest tactic, teasing. 

 

“You know if, I didn’t know any better…I would think this was a confession. It is Valentines day after all.” Akira smirked putting another piece of chocolate into his mouth. Ryuji nearly jumped in shock before his cheeks turned a slight pink and he covered his face with his hands. It was adorable and also really not helping his heart not explode so that tactic was a failure. He was doing his best to think of something else when Ryuji mumbled something. 

 

“What? I couldn’t hear you?” Akira leaned in a little hoping it would help him catch what Ryuji had said.

 

“I said your not wrong.” Ryuji practically yelled in his face. Akira’s brain froze. 

 

“I like, really like you and shit. You look really nice and could probably charm the pants of a stone. So its not like I got a chance or nothing but I just kinda wanted to get it out there. Cause its driving me crazy.” Ryuji stuttered his way through his confession before covering his very pink face refusing to look in Akira’s general direction. Akira still couldn’t believe this was happening. He never thought this would happen so he wasn’t sure what to say.

 

“So uh sorry for making this awkward and stuff. Just forget about it. See you.” Ryuji said getting up to leave. _Oh shit_ He thought Akira was rejecting him. No he couldn’t leave like this. Akira’s brain finally unfroze and his legs sprung into action. Ryuji had started walking away so Akira grabbed his arm pulled him back. Ryuji stumbled a bit giving Akira ample opportunity to spin him closer before dipping him right back so there faces were only a few inches apart. Then with barely a second to breathe Akira locked there lips together. It was one sided at first until slowly Ryuji began kissing him back. 

 

They didn’t get much farther than that because Ryuji broke the kiss. Ryuji fell onto the floor clearing shocked and breathing like he’d just been drowning. Akira couldn’t help finding it adorable. 

 

“What the hell, dude?” Finally left Ryuji’s mouth. 

 

“Thats called a kiss Ryuji.” Akira kneeled down next to him before replyingenjoying the light flustered shove he got in response.

 

“So wait, you like me?” Ryuji asked still apparently trying to comprehend the situation. 

 

“Yes, that is what a kiss means.” Akira just watched with a smirk as Ryuji just sat there dumfounded. 

 

“But why?” Well, that wasn’t ever a question Akira had asked himself. Akira shifted sitting fully on the floor before pulling Ryuji into closer and wrapping his arms around him. Akira ruffled his blonde hair a bit before finally supplying an answer.

 

“Because your kind, optimistic, practically the first person to ever actual believe me and a hundred other reasons that I can’t think of right now. But I do know that I love you.” Akira smiled as Ryuji curled up even closer against him. 

 

“So, Boyfriend wanna get off the floor and move this somewhere else?” Akira whispered into Ryuji’s hair. The reaction was worth it. Ryuji jumped into attention in response. He offered Akira his hand. When they were both standing Ryuji’s face looked pensive. 

 

“Boyfriend huh?” Ryuji clearing expressing some sort of reservation. 

 

“Not want to date?” Akira asked leaning on the counter giving Ryuji a bit of space.

“Thats not it of course I wanna but would’t be another mark against you? I mean your reputations already bad but wouldn’t this like make it worse.” Oh he had mentioned his reputation before. Well this needed to be worked out immediately.

 

“Ryuji, Do you love me?” Akira locked eyes with Ryuji.

“Yeah— but that not the poin—“ Akira cut him off before he could say another word.

“And I love you too, so then, whats another tear in my reputation?”Akira kissed him on the cheek. 

 

“Besides Sojiro’s approval is the only I need to worry about and he let me keep a cat. I don’t see him objecting about a boyfriend. He doesn’t have to take care of you after all.” 

 

Ryuji just hugged him in response. 

 

“So since there’s nothing holding me back, what do you say? Wanna date me?” Akira asked pretty confident about what the answer would be.

 

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji enthusiastically replied and they kissed again.

 

 

————————- Bonus Scene

It was during to a trip to the casino in the safe room when someone asked. 

“So Akira, I hear your dating someone. Wanna tell everyone how that happened?” Akiralooked up from the map. 

“Why of course Ann, you see it started on the Valentine’s I was in Leblanc when my crush came in. They handed me chocolate confessed then tried to run away.” Akira motioned over dramatically for every moment in the story. While Ann giggled, Makoto sighed and Haru looked entranced. Akira quickly glanced a Ryuji who was leaning against the table not aware of the conversation it seemed. Akira smirked. _Excellent_

“So I grabbed them and.” Akira deftly gripped Ryuji’s hand spun him closer and repeated their first kiss. Ann and Haru cheered. Makoto seemed shocked. While Mona groaned. Though Akira barely registered any of that for he was too busy kissing his boyfriend.

“Dude!” Ryuji screamed pushing his mask up while trying to cover his face.

“That Ann is how I got a boyfriend.”

**Author's Note:**

> My friend mentioned how There's No Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes reminded her of these two and my brain supplied this fic. On why this is tagged as a Slight AU: I was dumb and forgot to look up in game dates until I had already finished writing this but I like the bonus scene so I just decided to post it here anyway. So In this au the calendars pushed back a little But anyway hope you enjoyed this.


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